False Doors
by oOo.RED Ink.oOo
Summary: They said their names were Edward Elric and Ling Yao, and they were just as confused as to how they had ended up in the Department of Mysteries as everyone else.
1. Inception

**Author's Notes: For a while, I've wanted to write an FMA/HP crossover but I haven't been able to solidify my ideas enough until now. I think I have a pretty good concept of where I want this story to go, and I'm hoping you'll all join me for the ride, because I've got **_**a lot**_** planned for this story! **

**A few things you should know before reading:**

**1. This will take place during The Order of the Phoenix, starting during Harry's vision of Mr. Weasley being attacked by Nagini in the Ministry of Magic.**

**2. Anything FMA related in this story will be referenced from FMA:Brotherhood or the manga. **

**3. I don't think there will be much, if any, focus on romance/shipping, but if I do end up putting a little something in, it will most likely relate to Ed/Winry, Ron/Hermione, or even possibly Neville/Luna. I honestly wouldn't count on it though, as I intend this to focus more on the themes of adventure, drama, and friendship.**

**4. I will do my best to answer any questions you have. Just send me a comment or a PM and I'll do my best to get back to you.**

**5. This chapter will be pretty short, since it's just the intro. I promise that as soon as I start getting into the real story, the chapters will get longer.**

**Warnings: This chapter contains moderate violence and descriptions of blood. **

**That'll be all! Enjoy, guys!**

_**Disclaimer– I'm going to say this once, and it goes for any chapters that might follow as well: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or the Harry Potter series. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa and JK Rowling respectively.**_

.

**Prologue: Inception**

.

.

The dream began like this: he was gliding down a dark hallway he didn't recognize, his long, agile body undulating back, and forth, and back again in scaly loops that propelled him further into the blackness. A single-minded determination buzzed within his conscious as he surged forward and he tasted the air with a forked tongue.

He was not alone. There was a man on the floor to his right, back propped against the wall with his chin drooping onto his chest, a silver cloak blanketing his legs. Another flick of his tongue proved the man to be asleep and he decided it best not to attack, though he wanted to with a raw, gnawing desire. He had to resist, lest he bring unnecessary attention to himself. Something he could not afford. Not now. Not now when he was so close, so very _close_…

But as he began to slither past, the sleeping man stirred and scrambled to his feet with a gasp of horror upon catching sight of him, reflexively producing a wand from his robes. Glee rose within him as he deduced that he had no choice but to strike now.

Before the man could even begin to utter a spell, he reared back and lashed forward once, twice, three times, catching the man's forearm with his fangs the first time and his ribcage the second and third. He felt he could break into a chorus of joyous _laughter_ from the mere sadistic pleasure of feeling the man's ribs snap like a bundle of dry twigs in his jaws and he reveled in the exquisite sensation of hot, coppery blood gushing into his mouth, out through his gums and onto the floor in scarlet streams. At first, his victim cried out loudly in agony, his screams resonating up and down his vertebrae as he sunk his teeth deeper into his flesh, before he fell silent as well as unconscious.

Grinning to himself internally, he prepared to release the man, to let him bleed the rest of his life out onto the cold, tile floor, when he sensed others approaching. The feeling was emanating from behind the black door at the end of the hallway which suddenly burst open, out of it emerging two people, both around fifteen or sixteen in age, both male, both injured. They saw him, and one of them yelled something he couldn't understand.

He relinquished his victim, testing the air around the newcomers. He could taste blood on them, oozing from small scrapes littering their bodies and could tell both suffered from several broken bones. They would be no match for him in their weakened states, but as he reared back to strike, mouth agape, the shorter of the two pressed his palms together and slapped them to the ground. There was a blue flash, the thick scent of roasting ozone, and then…_pain_. He hissed ferociously as his flesh was attacked and mercilessly scorched by this foreign energy, burning him…burning…burning… _**burning**_…!

Green eyes shot open.

The dream had ended, and now the nightmare would take its place.

.

.

.

.

.

.

**Author's Notes: Feedback is loved! Any comments, suggestions, or constructive criticisms you may have are welcomed! Please, tell me what you think so I can make sure this story is the best it can be. Also, if there's anyone who'd like to be my unofficial beta reader, let me know, because I'd be grateful for any help I can get. Thank you! **


	2. The Unaccounted For

**Author's Note: Alright, time to start the REAL story! Thank you so much for the favs, alerts, and comments, guys! Anyway, I apologize in advance if the beginning of this chapter's a little boring, but it's important because it literally explains ****everything**** that just happened. Essentially, if you don't want to be hopelessly confused, you have to read this part. But after all the explanations are out of the way, things will pick up and the plot will really start to move forward. Just hang in there, guys! I promise it's not that bad and that I did my best to make it an easy read. Hope you enjoy! **

.

**Chapter One: The Unaccounted For**

.

.

.

They said their names were Edward Elric and Ling Yao, and they were just as confused as to how they had ended up in the Department of Mysteries as everyone else.

Immediately after Arthur Weasley, still miraculously clinging to feeble strands of life, was sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the strange boys were taken in for questioning. The Unspeakables who worked in the Department of Mysteries were greatly concerned that their magical security had done little to hinder the boys' navigation of the sector. Anyone who was not an employee stood little chance of finding the exit without an experienced guide to accompany them, yet, somehow, the two had been able to get in as well as out without any trouble at all. They'd hoped that that would be the end of the confusion, but when asked how they were able to break into the Ministry and access the atrium, both explained that they hadn't broken in at all––they had entered through a stone archway with a black veil, sitting on a dais in the middle of a stone pit.

Their claims were inconceivable, but there was no possibility they could have been lying either. No one knew what went on in the Department of Mysteries. The only way the boys could have known about the archway in the Chamber of Death was if they truly had been there; the Unspeakables had no choice but to believe them. But _how_ the boys had managed to emerge from the _other_ side of the veil was well beyond anything they could think of. Granted, the Department contained the rawest, most complex and uncontrollable forms of magic known to wizard kind, the workings of which still very much an anomaly to those who studied it. Such a thing as a pair, who appeared to be from a different world altogether, suddenly materializing out of essentially nowhere was certainly not impossible.

The Ministry officials who were notified of the incident demanded that there be more questioning as soon as time would allow, but before there could be any intensive discussion on the subject, Albus Dumbledore invited himself to the investigation. Against the Ministry's protests that he stay out of the matter, he began asking the boys questions of his own: Where were they from? Was there anyone else with them? What were they doing before they came through the archway? Where had their injuries come from? How had they found their way to Arthur?

They'd answered accordingly: They were from a place called Amestris, or at least Edward was. Ling hailed from another country called Xing, though he'd been traveling Amestris when he'd met Edward.

There had been a third person before––Envy. He wasn't with them, as he'd been separated from them early on and they'd lost him in the maze of rooms. In other circumstances, locating him would not have been a problem for Ling, but an "obscuring, inorganic force" (magic, he was corrected) interfered with his ability to read the "Dragon's Pulse", whatever that meant.

Before they'd emerged from the archway, Edward had performed a transmutation (An alchemist? How strange…). They'd been trapped in limbo between "Truth and Reality" and he believed that by passing through the "actual Portal of Truth", he could reconstruct himself and the others back into the tangible world. In a sense it had worked, but he'd miscalculated the instability of the false door, thus, Dumbledore explained, they had been reconstructed into an alternate reality instead. Edward wouldn't hear a word of this theory, but Ling and the Unspeakables nodded in a mixture of vague understanding and blind acceptance.

Regarding their injuries, Envy was the one responsible. Neither Ling nor Edward was on friendly terms with him in even the loosest form of the phrase. They said nothing more on the topic.

As for finding Arthur Weasley, that had been somewhat of an accident. Ling had suddenly been able to sense someone's _qi_ when he and Edward had reached the rotating room with the blue candles and black doors. (Dumbledore hypothesized it was because the barrier spells and enlargement charms were less concentrated behind that particular entrance, which made sense since it was, in fact, the exit.) They'd then followed the flow through the door only to find Mr. Weasley in the jaws of an enormous snake. Edward had instinctively used a deconstructive transmutation to try and kill it, but the beast had escaped, albeit badly wounded. With the threat out of the way, for the moment at least, they'd done their best to try and stop Mr. Weasley from bleeding out until Ministry officials had showed up and taken matters into their own hands.

The Unspeakables and Ministry higher-ups had lost track of the boy's story from "Amestris" and onwards, only comprehending certain bits and pieces, though Dumbledore seemed to understand very clearly what was going on, nodding, and humming in agreement throughout. When it finally came to an end, he ordered that the two be sent to the hospital posthaste to have their wounds tended to.

The Ministry workers balked at the idea that the headmaster was just going to let the two wander off without a thorough investigation, to which Dumbledore reminded them that they were fifteen-year-old boys who were injured and in need of medical help––questioning could wait. In fact, it would not even be necessary. Edward was an alchemist, he reiterated, and returning to their world would require nothing more than another transmutation. He likened it to taking a wrong turn on a trip and making the round to the correct road at the next rest stop. The Unspeakables were still hopelessly confused, but at least the important parts were easier to grasp by the comparison. Still skeptical, they insisted the boys be obliviated before they returned to this so-called "Amestris", but allowed them to be sent to St. Mungo's without further argument.

.

.

.

.

"Hmm. There seems to be a group of eavesdroppers outside our door."

Edward almost didn't notice Ling's rather offhand comment over his rapid-fire conversation with Dumbledore, imploring to know what kind of "freaky alchemy was going on here" and how there didn't seem to be any type of Equivalent Exchange going on.

"Come on, old man! Tell me how this stuff works! And don't say magic again, because like hell am I going to believe _that _crap. Look, this could really help me figure out––" he began, but paused when his brain processed what Ling had said. "…What?" he asked, turning away to give his attention to the prince.

"There's a group of eavesdroppers outside our door," Ling repeated as if he were discussing something mundane like the weather. Edward didn't take the presence of the intruders so lightly, scowling in obvious irritation.

"Well, what the hell do they want?" he snorted. Ling merely shrugged, then winced as his healing ribs ached at the movement. That "Skele-Gro" stuff wasn't exactly the most comfortable healing method. He smacked his lips, cringing at the lingering acrid flavor stagnating on his tongue––or the best _tasting_.

There was a scraping noise as Dumbledore stood from his seat beside Edward and went over to the door in a swish of stars and midnight blue. Edward heard several pairs of feet trying to scramble away before the old man could open it, but he stopped them in their tracks, calling through the wood, "No need to be in such a hurry. Come inside, everyone."

There were whispers and shuffling noises for a minute, and then the door opened, revealing a group of five sheepish teenagers of varying ages. Four of the five people were redheads and two of them looked identical to each other. The twins looked to be the eldest of the group, though they were a little shorter than the other redheaded boy beside them. The youngest, also a redhead, was a girl and she stood beside the tallest boy. Judging by their facial features and hair color, Edward guessed that they were all related to one another.

Then there was the odd one out, a medium-height boy with tousled jet black hair and bright green eyes that stared out from behind almost ridiculous-looking, round, thick-framed glasses. Edward had to squint slightly, but he thought he could see a faded scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on the black-haired boy's forehead. The boy was watching him carefully, as if expecting him to have some monumental reaction upon seeing his oddly-shaped scar, but Edward merely glanced and became disinterested once more. This seemed to surprise the boy for some reason, but he said nothing and dropped his gaze to the ground.

"We're sorry for listening, professor, we…we heard that they'd helped save dad, and we just…" the tallest boy blurted, looking like he'd just gotten his hand slapped away from the cookie jar, the tips of his ears turning pink in embarrassment. Dumbledore didn't seem to be bothered at all as he listened to the boy stutter out the apology with a kind gaze.

"I'm sure that Mr. Elric and Mr. Yao appreciate your gratitude," he said. "If they wish to speak, you may stay for a few minutes while I discuss some matters with the Order, but if they'd rather be left alone I kindly ask you to wait in the hallway until we're finished."

Ling beamed hugely, exclaiming, "I'd love company! You all look much more pleasant than Edward. He just frowns and complains," He jabbed a thumb in Edward's direction.

"Shut it," the blond alchemist growled irritably. He caught Dumbledore leaving to go to Mr. Weasley's ward out of the corner of his eye. Not wanting him to depart just yet, Edward shot up, ignoring his still-healing ribs, yelling after the headmaster, "Hey, wait a second, old man, I wasn't finished––! …Dammit, he got away."

Ling was already chatting with the others, telling them that there was no need to thank him, he was just glad to have been able to help and that Edward had done most of the work anyway, wounding and scaring off the snake and all. Edward slumped back against his pillows with a huff only to be met with five pairs of eyes, staring intently at him.

"What?" he grunted, trying not to squirm under the scrutiny. It was the girl who spoke up.

"We wanted to thank you for helping our dad," she told him, looking apologetic, like she felt as though she were intruding. _We_ are_ strangers after all,_ Edward thought to himself. _Can't exactly blame her._

"Yeah," one of the twins added quietly. "He told us if you and that bloke over there hadn't been there when you had, there's a good chance he wouldn't have made it." The other twin and the tallest boy nodded an affirmative and Edward felt uncomfortable as they all stared at him with something akin to reverence.

Their father…?

A pang of emotion he couldn't put a name to shot him through the heart. He knew the anguish of losing a family member that close four times over––first his own father had abandoned him, then auntie and uncle Rockbell lost their lives in Ishval, and finally his mother succumbed to the Resembool epidemic. The realization that he'd just saved four people from experiencing that kind of pain formed a lump that lodged itself in his throat. Words failed him and he looked away, trying to sort out the storm of sentiments swelling uncomfortably in his chest.

"Look, I…you don't have to…we were just in the wrong place at the right time. We did what we had to," he murmured quickly. The moment that followed was one filled with an awkward silence in which no one was really sure what to say next––what_ was_ there to say?–– but Ling took care of the issue with an abrupt change of subject.

"So, what are all of your names?" he inquired cheerfully, his signature grin already plastered on his face. "I am Ling Yao, twelfth son of the Emperor of Xing. And of course I've already mentioned Edward's name."

The twins introduced themselves as Fred and George Weasley, the tallest redhead was Ron Weasley, the girl, Ginny Weasley, and the black-haired boy, Harry Potter. After that, Edward tuned out of the conversation with a roll of his eyes as it shifted to Ginny asking if Ling was really a prince to which he winked and assured that he was with a flirtatious smile.

* * *

It was another thirty-three minutes of Ling's embellished storytelling before Dumbledore finally returned and shooed the others out of the room, despite their obvious reluctance, giving the excuse that they had private matters to discuss. Once the door was safely shut behind them, he asked, "How are your injuries? Your broken bones should be completely mended by now."

Edward flexed and prodded the arm he'd broken during the battle with Envy back in Gluttony's stomach. It was fully healed, it not a bit stiff. His ribs felt normal as well, and he told the headmaster as such.

"Wonderful," he replied. "Both of you may leave now, if you'd like. Will you need anything for your return home?"

Edward suddenly blanched. He'd forgotten that they would need a Philosopher's Stone to open the Portal, and finding Envy was the only way they were going to get one. But who even knew where the homunculus had gotten off to? He'd run off to find his own way back shortly after they'd arrived in the Ministry through the archway, furious that Edward's plan hadn't worked like they'd anticipated. At this point, he could be anywhere, assuming he'd found his way out by now. _Damn it_…

"We're going to need a Philosopher's Stone to get back; we have to use it as the toll. As much as I hate to say it, we need to find Envy."

"Is he in possession of a Stone?" Dumbledore inquired, looking at him over his half-moon spectacles with something Edward wanted to call curiosity. He shot a glance at Ling and a single sentence passed silently between them––_He can't know the truth._

"Ehh…you could say that," both admitted simultaneously, shifting anxiously and hoping no questions would be asked.

"Would he happen to be...a homunculus?" the old wizard surmised with a bluntness that almost sent the boys reeling back into their pillows with shock.

Edward, trying to string his thoughts together sputtered, "What––how did you––?", but Dumbledore merely sent him a mysterious glance, blue eyes twinkling in a way that indicated he knew more than Edward could ever hope to guess. It shut him up immediately and the old headmaster continued as though there had never been a disturbance.

"We will need to go to Headquarters," he concluded. "If Envy is indeed still in the Department of Mysteries, it's important that he's found by people we can trust. Otherwise, we may have an irreversible disaster on our hands."

.

.

.

**.**

**Author's Note:**** I'm pretty sure that I'll be writing this story in different perspectives. All of it will be told from third person, of course, but we'll get to see what's going on in the HP crew's heads as well as Ed and Ling's. **

**Feedback is loved! Any comments, suggestions, or constructive criticisms you may have are welcomed! Please, tell me what you think so I can make sure this story is the best it can be.**


End file.
